Most helpful positive review

I purchased this a few months ago at a local home improvement center (a little cheaper than here). I left it in the box until yesterday and figured about 30 minutes max to put together (wrong). It took me the better part of two hours to assemble the unit. As another reviewer noted, the screws and bolts for the drum assembly are a real pain- I did it myself (middle aged female), but I recommend more tools than what is stated on the instructions. Use a small pliers to hold the bolt steady as you tighten each of the screws; once I got a few going like that it was easier than trying to hold a wrench (recommended in instructions). You also need to ensure that all the parts are there. Some are taped inside other parts so you may think something is missing when it is there. That also wasted some time. Nevertheless, once assembled the unit looks sturdy and functions well. I would not use the turn lever to rotate the drum- only use it to unlock the drum. It seems much easier on the unit to just rotate it like a ball once it is unlocked. Will report back on how well it composts after a few months.

Most helpful critical review

To agree with both previous reviewers--the assembly of this compost tumbler was absolutely ridiculous. The nuts and bolts to fasten the two halves together were bad. The "lock" for keeping it closed, a piece of plastic that I am fairly sure won't last a year, was practically impossible. In fact, one of those locks has come off today and I can't get it back in. I'm not bad at this assembly stuff, but this particular piece is particularly stupid.It also fell apart within a year. I do NOT recommend.

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I agree with the other bad reviews - hard to assemble, frame is really cheap and is whacked out of shape, lid is hard to open, doesn't tumble easily and the worst - it takes forever to make compost. I've had stuff sit in there all summer and winter and it is still half decomposed in the spring. I'm going to buy a good one.

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We had a static compost pile that was very hard to stir/turn, and never fully decomposed. I put this together myself in about an hour, filled it up and set it spin! We have had them (we have 2) for 2 summers now, and it works great. Turn out compost in 6-8 weeks. My 9 year old can usually spin it, if it's not too heavy. The metal clip on the side can easily slip out--we usually leave it unlocked unless we are loading or unloading compost. The frame on one of ours slips occasionally if it's too heavy, so just be careful when you turn it that it stays balanced. Overall we're very happy!

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This tumbling composter worked fine until it started filling up. The hardware used to fasten the barrel to the frame could not support the weight and sheared off on one side causing the other side then to break of as well. I still use the barrel to compost with but it is much more labor intensive as I have to roll it around the yard. Therefor, I don't spin it as much as when it was mounted to the frame, and the compost does not break down as fast is it normally would. Don't get this composter. Spend the extra money for one that will be able to handle the capacity that it suggests by the barrel.

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Purchased this from a local home store and thought it would be great, until we (finally) assembled it. Took much cursing and scraped knuckles but it finally got put together. Assemble close to where you'll use it; it is awkward to move. So...discovered that unscrewing the top is a total pain; I have a mild arthritis so this is even harder for me, but my young ones had a tough time as well. The slots in the top can also be a drag to line up and get it back on. Anyway, tumbling is awkward and you need some strength, even with little waste inside. Maybe it was just my compost, but this thing leaked everywhere, set it on ground, not pavement. The indented top collects rainwater and can get slimy. Finally, the side brackets snapped off the frame, making it virtually impossible to flip. In fact, it's now just an unused compost barrel in a corner of the yard and the frame is waiting for the dump run. We got ONE load of compost from this; it took 10 months and everything we used the compost on also grew tomato volunteers from the previous year's harvest. My advice? Keep looking.

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I bought this product (not from Amazon) last summer. After about 2 months, some screws just snapped off. I replaced them but by the end of the winter, the spring that holds the barrel in place broke to bits from rust. And, I had to pay someone to put it together and it was difficult. It has probably given me about 8 months of use.

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This is an absolute waste of money. It is poorly designed and when it was less than 1/2 way full it collapsed under its own weight! The locking mechanism is a joke. It is impossible to get it to line up. Do not waste your money on this. Great idea, horrible execution.

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It did last one year, but then the "drum lock" snapped and broke. It is impossible to turn because the barrel won't stay in place. I have tried to find the art to replace, but it seems there is nothing like that. I got it on a good sale, but it isn't even worth what I paid for it.

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Handle broke; they sent replacement along with every single replacement part that goes with that composter (what a waste of resources) and that handle broke, too. Took a long time to assemble because it has so many nuts/bolts. Other composters are easier to turn over.

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Don't buy this product unless you want 2 hours of frustration and sore fingers afterward from the assembly alone. There is no easy way to assemble this monstrosity. The endless nuts and bolts needed to secure the top and bottom plastic pieces together are ridiculously small and awkward. When finally assembled the "locking" top and bottom doors are difficult-to-hateful to try to open and close. The metal stand is flimsy and the locking latch system is a joke. Mine broke after 4 months and I simply had to throw the lock mechanism away and just use the barrel as free spinning. Once again, beware of this product. Don't buy if you can find something better and more reasonbly priced. For what you get, this item should cost $20-$30 maximum.

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After less than 4 weeks of use, the composter is sitting on the ground because the frame collapsed. The bolt on the locking side broke, the barrel rolled forward and flattened the cup that it rotates in, and the whole thing just hit the ground. It was only about 2/3 full and not real wet. Don't waste your money on this cheap junk. Costco sells a nice one for about $100, and I'm kicking myself for passing on it to save a few bucks.